49ers' big rally stymied as Ravens win Super Bowl

NEW ORLEANS — The San Francisco 49ers' perfect record in Super Bowls ended Sunday evening despite a massive comeback comeback attempt that was ignited after a 35-minute, power-outage delay inside the Superdome.

The Baltimore Ravens built a 28-6 lead before hanging on to claim Super Bowl XLVII in 34-31 fashion.

Through all the twists, turns and virtual twilight thanks to the power outage, this Super Bowl's claim to fame won't solely be that it offered the first-ever matchup between head coaches who are brothers.

Before John Harbaugh's Ravens celebrated, Jim Harbaugh's second season as 49ers coach didn't end quietly, not once the 49ers ripped off 17 unanswered points in a third-quarter stretch once lights were restored to this iconic venue.

With 4:19 remaining, the 49ers needed to drive 80 yards to erase the Ravens' 34-29 lead. That became a distinct possibility once they penetrated Ravens territory, doing so on Colin Kaepernick's 24-yard completion to Michael Crabtree and then Frank Gore's 33-yard run to the Ravens' 7-yard line.

That last-gasp drive stalled, however, after a 2-yard run by LaMichael James and three consecutive incomplete passes toward Crabtree.

The fatal, fourth-and-goal play featured Kaepernick attempting a fade pass to the right side of the end zone, where Crabtree was covered tightly by Jimmy Smith. Harbaugh unsuccessfully begged for a holding call as only 1:46 remained in the 49ers season.

The Ravens provided a safety — punter Sam Koch ran out of the end zone — to leave only four seconds left on the clock.

Scoring was a near-impossible chore for the 49ers until the Superdome lost power due to unspecified reasons. ("Stadium authorities are investigating the cause of the power outage," stated a NFL spokesman.)

That four-minute scoring spree pulled them within 28-23, and they got even closer when Kaepernick dashed for a 15-yard touchdown run to make it 31-29 with 9:57 left in the game.

Although Kaepernrick's two-point conversion pass toward Randy Moss sailed incomplete, the 49ers had very much emerged from the shadows of defeat.

Those scoreboard lights promptly were put to use in the third quarter as the 49ers scored 17 unanswered points in a 4 minute, 10 second spree, pulling them within 28-23.

Ten points marked the largest previous deficit overcome in Super Bowl history, and that occurred twice: by the Washington Redskins against the Denver Broncos in their 42-10 win in Super Bowl XXII, and by the New Orleans Saints in a 31-17 comeback over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.

A comeback was nothing new to these 49ers. Two weeks ago, the 49ers rallied from 17-0 to topple the Atlanta Falcons 28-24 for the NFC Championship, and they also overcame a 7-0 deficit in a playoff-opening win over the Green Bay Packers.

Trailing 21-6 at halftime, the 49ers' comeback bid suddenly became a bigger task after the second half's opening kickoff. That's because Jacoby Jones made the score 28-6 on his 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, the longest in NFL history.

The 49ers' pass defense faltered early against red-hot Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, whose three touchdown passes in the first half raised his total to 11 for the postseason, matching a record shared by Joe Montana (49ers) and Kurt Warner (St. Louis Rams).

Flacco won the game's Most Valuable Player award.

While Flacco was hot, the 49ers offense started cold thanks to a pair of second-quarter turnovers, including the first interception in 170 passes by a 49ers quarterback in Super Bowl history.